former senator chuck hagel. awaits senate approval. panetta spent nearly four decades in washington as a congressman from california. federal budget director. white house chief of staff. and c-i-a director. where he oversaw the operation that killed osama bin laden. >> it's been for me, a hell of a ride. i will never forget the pride and exhilaration when i walked out of the white house after the president announced the success of the bin laden operation. >> pam: president barack obama praised the military's progress under panetta's watchful eye. pointing to the repeal of a ban on gays openly serving in the military. and the recent expansion of combat roles for women. >> the secret service is investigating the publication of private photographs of former presidents george h-w bush and george w bush. they appear to have been stolen from family e-mail accounts. the e-mails appeared on a gossip web site yesterday. the emails were between several members of the bush family. and delved into personal family topics, scheduling matters. and co